Chile retailer Falabella's second quarter net profit up 2.5 pct

SANTIAGO Aug 31 (Reuters) - Chile's Falabella, one
of Latin America's largest retailers, said late on Tuesday that
its second-quarter net profit rose 2.5 percent compared with a
year earlier, due to increased sales despite weak economic
growth in the region.

Falabella reported a net profit of 118.3 billion pesos
($178.9 million) in the second quarter, slightly below a Reuters
forecast for a profit of 121.6 billion pesos.

Sales for the group, which has operations in Argentina,
Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Uruguay, grew 5.6 percent to 2.12
trillion pesos ($3.2 billion).